The Symbolic Significance of Weather

[Evisse the Blue]

I want to point out one of the less well-known instances when weather creates a mood and makes a point in the story:

At what I consider to be 'the official beginning of the quest', namely when the hobbits start off in 'The Old Forest' chapter, Frodo is woken up with these cheerful words: 'It is half past four and very foggy." Later on, we are given a more detailed description of what looks like a truly depressing autumn morning:

The leaves of the trees were glistening, and every twig was dripping, the grass was grey with cold dew.

It was dark and damp.

The reader is felt compelled to imagine that the four companions' sense of adventure was 'at the lowest ebb', and perhaps they all wished to be in their cosy hole by the fire with the kettle just beginning to sing, like Bilbo so adequately put it.
The fog theme goes on:

They mounted, and soon they were riding off into the mist, which seemed to open reluctantly before them and close forebodingly behind them.

Can't get more obvious than this.

Why did Tolkien choose this particular gloomy atmosphere in which the four hobbits embark on the quest of their lives? Maybe it was a way to foreshadow the hardships they would endure ahead. Maybe it was a way to underline the fact that 'home is behind, the (cruel) world ahead.'

[burrahobbit]

The Fog on the Barrow-Downs. Honestly, people.

[Encaitare]

Let's not forget the "Fog on the Barrow-Downs"!

And also the lament that Aragorn and Legolas sing for Boromir in "The Departure of Boromir," Book III. They sing of the North, South, and West Winds, but not of the East. When they are finished with their song....

"You left the East Wind to me," said Gimli, "but I will say naught of it."

"That is as it should be," said Aragorn. In Minas Tirith they endure the East Wind, but they do not ask it for tidings.

Mordor, of course, lies to the east of Minas Tirith, but the fact that even the wind is considered an ill thing is interesting. Plus the fact that they would 'ask the wind for tidings' serves to further the trend of the importance of Nature and weather.

[Lhunardawen]

In light of the topic of weather, Tolkien seems to use light literally as well as figuratively (no pun intended).

For instance, let us take Eowyn in the House of Healing. For the longest time Faramir was showing Eowyn his love for her, but she was still in her "winter", because she has not yet let go of her love for Aragorn. But after the downfall of Sauron, Eowyn finally "understood", as the book said. Now, does not the word "enlightened" have a more or less similar meaning? Then we see that as Faramir and Eowyn walk together after this, a light was about them.

I also noticed in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields that after Eomer found out that it was Aragorn and the Grey Company who were in the ships after all, it was mentioned that he threw his sword, which caught light. Or something like that.

It's really hard to explain things without the books in hand. Would anyone please help me by verifying these from the books? Any help would be deeply appreciated.

[Encaitare]

To add to what I said about the wind earlier, I found another quote:

"To me also the air brings messages. Already the wind is turning. There comes a breath out of the South; there is a sea-tang in it, faint thought it be. The morning will bring new things. ABove the reek it will be dawn when you pass the wall."

"If you speak truly, Widfara, then may you live beyond this day in years of blessedness!" said Theoden.

Since the lands across the Sea are where the Valar dwell and the strong men of Numenor came from, a "sea-tang" in the air near a place many miles from the sea would be good tidings, I suppose.

[Kransha]

Ah, a most intriguing topic on the subject of symbolism. If I might insert my uneeded pair of cents, and sense as well, I shall. I find that there is a lot of use of the description of weather by characters, most often in song, that sets a mood, portrays a like or dislike, perhaps a racial/ethnic distinction. Weather is thought of in different terms by different folk, and not necessarily because of their experiences with it. The heat/cold equation is one that varies because of the climate of a certain place. Cruel Redhorn bears a very ominous chill, but most evil things in Tolkien are parallel with 'heat' rather. Mordor, as one would think, is a very hot, red, and sweltering place. The subtle coldness of wind, though, seems to be disliked by the Dwarves in The Hobbit based on their song.

The wind was on the withered heath/But in the forest stirred no leaf:
There shadows lay by night and day/And dark things silent crept beneath.
The wind came down from mountains cold/And like a tide it roared and rolled;
The branches groaned, the forest moaned/And leaves were laid upon the mould.
The wind went on from West to East/All movement in the forest ceased,
But shrill and harsh across the marsh/Its whistling voices were released.
The grasses hissed, their tassles bent/The reeds were rattling -- on it went
O'er shaken pool under the heavens cool/Where racing clouds were torn and rent.
It passed the lonely Mountain bare/And swept above the dragon's lair:
There black and dark lay boulders stark/And flying smoke was in the air.
It left the world and took its flight/Over the wide seas of the night,
The moon set sail upon the gale/And stars were fanned to leaping light.

So, the Dwarves may be a bit adverse to cold in the form of wind. Again, one must assume that the heat of Smaug's breath has also made them wary. Maybe they're just not easily pleased. In the book, I do not believe the temperature in Moria is spoken of, but Gimli sounds like Dwarves who inhabit the place enjoy it. Gondorians, on the other hand, equate wind, and perhaps cold climates differently. Two songs which hinge on this, or perhaps portray it, are as follows. The first is a Song of the Fields of Lebennin, which talks of wind from the sea. Being in close proximity to the sea and the Anduin river, watery weather might be preferred by Gondorians. The second verse is Aragorn's song about Gondor, which also mentions wind and rain. Both verses make wind and the somewhat dreary atmosphere that it provides out to be very glorious and radiant. See if you can tell what I mean here.

Silver flow the streams from Celos to Erui
In the green fields of Lebennin!
Tall grows the grass there. In the wind from the Sea
The white lilies sway,
And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirin
In the green fields of Lebennin,
In the wind from the Sea!

Gondor! Gondor, between the Mountains and the Sea!
West Wind blew there; the light upon the Silver Tree
Fell like bright rain in gardens of the Kings of old.
O proud walls! White towers! O wingéd crown and
throne of gold!
O Gondor, Gondor! Shall Men behold the Silver Tree,
Or West Wind blow again between the Mountains and the Sea?

On the other hand, I go back to the racial weather distinction with another verse. Hobbits, the fair little folk, seem to be people who would enjoy a warm spring or summer or fall, as most beings of light on Middle-Earth would. Of course, most don't seem 'adverse' to the cold, or the winter. On Caradhras, Legolas (the elf, obviously), talks of fetching the sun, but in a jovial fashion, and he, a light-hearted individual, shows nothing near the same dislike of wintry weather as the Halflings. One example is in Bilbo Baggin's quatrain poem in which he equates winter with evil, wild things, talking, albeit briefly, of the fact that the natural beauty which Hobbits relish has been stolen from them.

When winter first begins to bite
and stones crack in the frosty night,
when pools are black and trees are bare,
'tis evil in the Wild to fare.

This leads one to thinking about what these different weather events entail. If you consider different seasons to be 'weather' then there's even more symbolism to be found. There's even more to be found in Tolkien's verses, but I am unable to locate the appropriate sections. I may edit this post or follow-up to it when I do. There is a lot of light and dark-hearted reference to weather symbolism, and plenty to astronomical things, the which I cannot fathom. It would seem that Tolkien has an affinity for flooding and sinking, which was how he disposed of Numenor, Beleriand, and the Ring of Isengard. Water, in the form of wave and rain, seems to be oft used as a weapon, an obstacle, or a representation.

[Essex]

Let us not forget the beautifully crafted passage showing Frodo and Sam at the Cross-roads:

Standing there for a moment filled with dread Frodo became aware that a light was shining; he saw it glowing on Sam's face beside him. Turning towards it, he saw, beyond an arch of boughs, the road to Osgiliath running almost as straight as a stretched ribbon down, down, into the West. There, far away, beyond sad Gondor now overwhelmed in shade, the Sun was sinking, finding at last the hem of the great slow-rolling pall of cloud, and falling in an ominous fire towards the yet unsullied Sea. The brief glow fell upon a huge sitting figure, still and solemn as the great stone kings of Argonath. The years had gnawed it, and violent hands had maimed it. Its head was gone, and in its place was set in mockery a round rough-hewn stone, rudely painted by savage hands in the likeness of a grinning face with one large red eye in the midst of its forehead. Upon its knees and mighty chair, and all about the pedestal, were idle scrawls mixed with the foul symbols that the maggot-folk of Mordor used. Suddenly, caught by the level beams, Frodo saw the old king's head: it was lying rolled away by the roadside. `Look, Sam!' he cried, startled into speech. `Look! The king has got a crown again!'The eyes were hollow and the carven beard was broken, but about the high stern forehead there was a coronal of silver and gold. A trailing plant with flowers like small white stars had bound itself across the brows as if in reverence for the fallen king, and in the crevices of his stony hair yellow stonecrop gleamed.'They cannot conquer for ever!' said Frodo. And then suddenly the brief glimpse was gone. The Sun dipped and vanished, and as if at the shuttering of a lamp, black night fell.

For me this is one of my favourite passages in the book, using the suns rays to show that Sauron's darkness cannot 'conquer forever'. Beautiful.

PS, Evisse pointed out the use of weather at the begining of the Old Forest chapter. I'd like to also point out the use of weather later on in this chapter where the hobbits get lost and grow tired. The description tolkien describes of stifling heat and a heavy atmosphere is almost palpable to me whenever I read this section. Just these few sentences are enough to explain my point:

A golden afternoon of late sunshine lay warm and drowsy upon the hidden land between. In the midst of it there wound lazily a dark river of brown water, bordered with ancient willows, arched over with willows, blocked with fallen willows, and flecked with thousands of faded willow-leaves. The air was thick with them, fluttering yellow from the branches; for there was a warm and gentle breeze blowing softly in the valley, and the reeds were rustling, and the willow-boughs were creaking.

You can see the words Tolkien uses to lull the reader almost into the same state the hobbits will shortly find themselves. Note the words 'lay warm and drowsy', 'wound lasily' etc. You can imagine the willow boughs creaking in the softly blowing breeze. Marvellous stuff.